Judith Sherven and Jim Sniechowski of Las Vegas, Nev., write:
“Already best-selling authors of five relationship books, we have turned our attention and expertise to soft-sell marketing. Our new book, The Heart of Marketing: Love Your Customers and They Will Love You Back, Morgan James Publishing, May 2009), already a best-seller at Amazon, promotes selling as spiritual service and marketing from the heart.
“This book is the voice for consciousness and conscience, caring and community in commerce—and has been released at this time when the aftershocks of hard-sell greed are being felt all around the world.
“Please don’t bother suggesting ‘get on Oprah.’ That is already a definite goal. Please DO suggest the biggest ideas you can think of to get the book standing on long legs so that word of mouth takes over and drives the book onto the New York Times Best Seller list.”
blogs, facebook, twitter, my space, go for it. ( if you haven’t already!)
Donna, Twitter and Facebook seem like obvious suggestions, But some people don’t know how or when to use these sites to promote.
So I’d like to elaborate a little more on your idea.
On Facebook:
—Create a Fan Page specifically for the book. Fan Pages are the ONLY PLACE that Facebook lets you promote something. Keep your fans up to date on things like book signings, media publicity you’re getting (link to it), awards you’re winning for the group, speaking engagements, etc. I encourage anyone who is frustrated with Facebook’s confusing user-interface, or doesn’t know how to use the site, to take a look the content in the teleseminar I hosted on June 4 on “11 ways to avoid missed opportunities on Facebook” at http://www.Publicityhound.com/publicity-products/marketing-tapes/how_to_use_facebook.htm
—When you do public events like book signings and speaking engagements, get lots of photos of you and your husband with vairous members of the audience and upload those to Facebook, as well as to the other photo-sharing sites like Flickr.
—Upload videos of you on the speaking circuit, or reading a list of tips from the book, or at a book signing. You can use the inexpensive Flip Video camera.
—Also create a Facebook Group devoted to people who want to share customer service ideas. This group isn’t devoted only to the book (people can become a Fan of your Fan Page for that). The Group will concentrate on customer service in general.
On Twitter:
—You or an assistant can write a list of tips, each within 140 characters, taken directly from the book, and then “drip” these out on Twitter over a period of several seeks or months using a program like HootSuite.com. HootSuite.com (it’s free) will also make it very easy for other people to “retweet” your posts.
—After you have, say, 20 or so tips, turn that into a blog post. It’s a nice way to recycle your content. Take a look at how Shane Gibson did this at his blog at http://www.closingbigger.net/2009/06/20-social-media-tips-under-140-characters/
—Ask your Twitter followers for their own examples of how they love their own customers. You’ll get GREAT feedback, and tons of content for more blog posts, Facebook Notes, etc.
Hope this helps.
Sounds like a perfect opportunity to create a campaign centered around Valentine’s Day, when celebrations of love are at their peak! Ask those who dole out the best customer service to submit their “love-liest” customer service ideas to you. You’ll then select the “Top 14” “love-liest” ideas (in honor of Feb. 14 – Valentine’s Day) who will win a box of chocolates on Valentine’s Day, along with a signed copy of your book. The #1 idea gets a weekend for two at a popular B&B on Valentine’s Weekend, with a basket of chocolates and 14 of your books (to share with their management team, etc.)waiting to greet them. Partner with a national chocolatier (Hershey, etc.), and a national travel resource (travelocity, etc.) and gain even more publicity! A win-win for everyone!
Valerie, what a fabulous idea!
The customer service tips can then be targeted to variouis blogs, ezines, websites, etc. that deal with customer service issues.
Well, I think it’s a perfect time to apply all the wonderful things that you teach and tell us about in the book, to market and promote the book.
Now I’m not just being cute here.
See what Judith and Jim have done? They have given us all an opportunity to get some PR for ourselves, while at the same time promoting and getting ideas on promoting their own work! This is soft-sell at its best..a win-win all around.
I think this is brilliant, and I am grateful for the opportunity to say good things about you and “The Heart of Marketing”.
I do have an important suggestion. The web site for your book (indicated above) does not contain a way to contact you. Therefore it is impossible for someone who sees the publicity you are generating to contact you with just a click. I actually wanted to request a review copy of your book as it might provide good material for my Marketing Minute newsletter, but there was no link or phone number on your web site. Others might have wanted to suggest a joint venture or request a media interview, or have had ideas for furthering word of mouth. During your publicity efforts, you should always make it possible for one publicity effort to build from another, which requires providing contact information to allow that to happen.
Marcia, I couldn’t agree more!
I can’t tell you the number of times I have visited a website, credit card number in hand, hoping to buy a product or consulting services. If I can’t find what I’m looking for, I then search for a phone number. And search. And search. And search.
People who don’t provide a phone number on every page of their website are leaving money on the table.
Well, here is another lesson: Always go back and revisit the publicity efforts you’ve started and follow up where needed. It’s interesting to me that while I said that I would be interested in having a review copy of the book so I can write about it, I have not been contacted. In addition, Judith and Jim did not show up here and reply or thank those who offered comments. It seems as though it was a “hit and run” effort.
Marcia, I’ll give Judith and Jim the benefit of the doubt. I suspect they’re probably out on a book tour, or on the speaking circuit.
As you know, book launches are grueling. I hope they come back here to review all the excellent ideas.
This is a perfect book for partnership marketing (something I know Judith and Jim are already skilled at). Find newsletter editors already reaching the audience of soft-sell marketers, ethical marketers, green marketers, etc. Run an excerpt or an interview, make a special offer to their readers, etc. I go into these strategies in some detail in my award-winning sixth book, Principled Profit: Marketing That Puts People First.
Disclosure: I have seen the manuscript, endorsed the book, and cite it in my forthcoming 2010 book, Guerrilla Marketing Goes Green .